I'm Here Beside You
by Prince-Vermin
Summary: A short one-shot ficlet about Neku and Joshua. Neku's been wondering what his best friend has been up to for years. And now, he'll get the chance to see...


Sometimes it seemed longer than three years. Neku Sakuraba was about to graduate from high school, and move on to dedicating his life to his hopes and dreams. Hopes and dreams that hadn't existed before he had died. He'd made friends and lost them all over again but this time… He'd known the importance of continuing to live. The former Player and Proxy to Shibuya's Composer had never stopped being distant though. His mind was elsewhere most of the time. Neku wondered often about what might have been, and as the years had worn on and given birth to obsession, he'd felt his anger and hatred towards his best friend fade.

Joshua was still at the forefront of his mind three years later. If it hadn't been for Mr. Hanekoma's friendly guidance, it was very likely that Neku may have lost his mind entirely. The teenager himself didn't know this, of course. But there were other things that he didn't know: Things like the fact that there were a pair of lonely violet eyes watching him in every spare second they had.

Yoshiya Kiryu had caused a lot of trouble for the Angels during his flawed Game with Megumi Kitaniji. It may have been easier for them to Erase him and be done with it all, but Joshua was the type of soul that was not easily replaced. And after nearly three years of being in limbo and awaiting the eternal ones' judgment, this decision had been reached. No more was his hands- off policy with Neku, who had been his chosen one. But he had to adhere to the normal rules of the UG and RG, none-the-less. That meant that only someone who had a powerful Soul and could raise their Vibe could see him. And when someone was like that…? They were very likely to be groomed to be the next Angel, next Game Master, next Composer- like he himself had been. Joshua had always seen the Game. And that was why he had been drawn into it. To that day, he didn't know if perhaps he had been Imprinted into the route that he had succumbed to, no longer interested in the waking world…

The Composer gone before him had been mad; a raving lunatic driven insane by the cacophony that was the music of Shibuya. He had begged Joshua to kill him. Relished his Erasure. And Joshua had simply inherited his Conductor, his officers… Not much had changed since. Save for the Erasure of that Conductor. Still, Megumi Kitaniji's office stood open with the Producer filling in when necessary. He'd been pushed to chose one of his Gms, but was quick to quash such rumblings. After all, the Composer and Conductor were meant to be in harmony with each other.

And so he waited and watched, hoping that Neku would continue thrive and someday soon be ready to be harvested. Joshua had already decided his fate the day that Neku walked towards his first day as a college student. Not wearing a uniform was like a breath of fresh air, for one, and he was wearing his latest Jupiter of the Monkey selection. It was still his favorite brand years later, although the shirt he was wearing had been designed for him by Eri and Shiki. It was a good day. And yet something was eating at him.

He felt the old, dull ache of the loss of a friend again. Twice he'd lost the person who had understood him most. Once in grade school and again in the Game when he'd lost his ability to be with Joshua- Joshua who he hated and adored all at once. Neku stopped by the old mural. Three years had left it faded in places, even though he'd known that Mr. Hanekoma was always adding to it; new thoughts and feelings as spoken by the city himself. Joshua. Some of the new images had struck him… A tall, thin figure with his arms spread and cloaked in light. That was new, and all too familiar to the Proxy's eyes. He had stopped to touch it, his fingers tracing the delicate outline of feet.

"Joshua." He breathed simply and walked further, to the older parts of the mural. He grinned at brainy cat, at the skewed Reaper decal and then- The teenager's gloom became Rage. There was a black smear that looked almost like burnt soot and then- on top of it were words in a looping, messy calligraphy.

"I'm here beside you. -J" There was a little heart by it. And in that moment, Neku could feel it: Something cool and soothing. Like a cool breeze against his back in the summer heat. And he reached out instinctively with his mind. It was there. He could feel it, sense it… What was it? It was almost like scanning. Almost like using that damned Player pin all of those years ago. And suddenly he was sure that someone was standing behind him.

He turned around sharply, eyes coming to fall on silver hair and a light colored linen shirt. The person behind him turned slowly, warily, as though afraid of what he'd see.

"…Neku?" That familiar voice washed over his ears like cool water after a drought and the Proxy nearly collapsed, feeling suddenly light-headed.

"Josh?" He breathed, disbelief on his features.

"You can see me. Neku, Neku- you can see me!" The Composer breathed suddenly. This was it, the breakthrough he'd been hoping for. Finally, on his own- out of pure desire and will power- Neku had tuned his Vibe up and into the UG.

"You… bastard! Where have you been?!" And Neku was laughing, grabbing his former Partner in a hug and burying his face in silver hair. No one could see if he was on the same plane as Joshua.

"Right here. Beside you." He grinned and all but pried Neku away from him just so he could hold him at arm's length and look him over.

"So…. You really are alive, aren't you?" Neku asked slowly.

"Yes. Have been for over a century." Now that was something. Neku caught a glimpse of something white- blinding- and suddenly Mr. Hanekoma was approaching them, his gaze unreadable. Joshua crossed his arms and huffed.

"Now, now Sanae. He's done this himself somehow. I didn't have anything to do with it." He complained. The Angel nervously ran a hand through his scruffy hair and shrugged.

"Come on Boss. I just came 'cause I heard somebody's been defacing my masterpiece." Joshua stared at him, that same furious pout on his face. Neku had never seen Mr. H.'s wings before. He could only stare.

"Well. I was only borrowing that… little spot there." He muttered, almost uncharacteristically sheepish.

"Mr. H. what's going on?" Neku finally asked.

"Well. Looks like you ascended, Phones. 'Magine that." The Barista shrugged. He couldn't do anything about it now that it had happened and… well, He didn't feel like being on Joshua's bad side for the rest of eternity.

"Ascended. Like you guys?" He could believe it. And now maybe that was the end of it. He turned his gaze back to Joshua.

"You know, I'm sort of out a Conductor right now so… If you don't have anything else to do with your time…" The Composer said as soon as he caught his eye.

And Neku had never been so prepared for a change in his life.


End file.
